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March 21, 2009

These Tough Times...

Students from the College of Santa Fe, the oldest college in the state of New Mexico, rallied this week to try to save their private liberal arts school which is headed for bankruptcy without state funding or other miraculous intervention to solve its $35 million indebtedness. It is not known if the school can even make it to the end of the semester. The bill to save the school died in the Senate Finance Committee without a hearing. This was the legislature's last week.

Comments

That is sad. But of course I can also understand why New Mexico taxpayers might be reluctant to bail this school out, even though it has been around so long. Perhaps the Catholic Church could step up and save it?

College of Santa Fe was ranked by every college ranking service (Petersen, Princeton Review, U.S. News) as a top Liberal Arts School in the Western U.S. The tuition/ room and board was over $35k a year, and had been around since before New Mexico was even a State (it was a U.S. Territory when the College Started). To have the parents and kids attend the school, then to have 3/4'ths of them have to move away, re-apply all over again, and begin anew is just terrible. Especially if you were a Junior. VERY few schools will just allow you to transfer for your Senior year. So those parents have dropped over $100k in tuition so far and get their child pushed into the street. No wonder New Mexico ranks at the bottom of the education totem pole! Governor Bill Richardson ran for President last election and I quote him, "Make education a top priority", "make more loans available for students", "help failing schools, don't DE-FUND them", "Nobody asks on why we pay for war, why do we ask on education", it goes on and on. One can quickly see why Richardson went from a Presidential candidate, to withdrawing from Obama's cabinet consideration, to now he can't even run his state. He was an "all-talk", vote panderer, that took over NM from Fiscal Hawk, prior Governor Gary Johnson. Richardson took a state in great shape, built a $400million railroad (a 6 car train) that only runs 100 miles and doesn't even stop at the main state airport in Albuquerque. So, he spends, while education falls off the map in NM. He has increased spending by 37% over Johnson, while revenues have dropped. He obviously learned his math from Tim Geithner, spending money that the state doesn't have. Problem is that Tim can print money, Bill hasn't found a way to do that. So he stands in defeat, as the oldest College in NM closes its doors and those children and families leave the Capitol city to find a place that can run it's business.

Anthony...starting to agree with you about Bill Richardson....it seems EVERYONE in this state is tainted, from Richardson on down to the beloved ??? Manny Aragon. I, too, am sick about College of Santa Fe. Kids came from all over the country to go to that school. So sad for their families. The kids fought hard for it. There are millionaires all over Santa Fe that could have stepped up to the plate and showed some interest in the rescue of this worthwhile school...but they are silent. Maybe the poor economy has taken its toll on them???? Who knows why they wouldn't help this deserving school. But the whole thing is terrible. Disgraceful. Embarassing.